In 2980 of the Third Age (T.A.), Frodo lost both his parents in a boating accident. Being a young minor of twelve he was taken in by his mother's family, the Brandybucks. In 2989, Frodo came under the guardianship of Bilbo Baggins, whom he thinks of as his uncle (though Frodo was actually his first and second cousin once removed, since his mother is Bilbo's first cousin, and his father is Bilbo's second cousin). Frodo was 21 years old at the time, still far short of his coming of adult age at 33. The childless Bilbo chose Frodo as his adoptive heir, and brought him to live at Bag End.

Bilbo and Frodo share a common birthday on September 22 but Bilbo is 78 years Frodo's senior. At the opening of The Lord of the Rings, Frodo and Bilbo are celebrating their 33rd and 111th birthdays, respectively, on September 22, T.A. 3001.

Frodo was entrusted with the keeping of the One Ring when Bilbo left for Rivendell after the celebration. Gandalf warned Frodo that the Ring must never be used and should be kept secret. (At the time, he was not yet certain that it was a Ring of Power.) Frodo kept the Ring hidden for seventeen years, until T.A. 3018, when Gandalf returned to confirm that it was indeed the One Ring. Gandalf sent him away with Sam Gamgee, who was Frodo's gardener and eventually his dearest friend. Together with Peregrin Took, Meriadoc Brandybuck and later Strider, they made it to the House of Elrond. There, at Elrond's Council, it was decided that the Ring must be destroyed by casting it into the Crack of Doom. A Fellowship was formed to protect Frodo as the Ring-bearer. His quest to destroy the Ring forms a large portion of The Lord of the Rings.

Frodo carried a small Elven sword (actually a dagger) called Sting and wore a coat of Dwarven chainmail made of Mithril under his clothes, both given to him by Bilbo. At Lothlórien, Galadriel gave him an Elven cloak and a phial carrying the light of the star Eärendil to aid him on his quest.

Two years after the Ring was destroyed, still troubled by the wounds he received during the War of the Ring, Frodo and Bilbo as Ring-bearers were given the right to travel to Valinor where, though remaining mortal, they might rest and be healed, together with Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel. They boarded a ship from the Grey Havens and passed over the sea on September 29, T.A. 3021. Having no children of his own, Frodo left his estate and passed on the Red Book to Samwise Gamgee who followed Frodo across the sea 61 years later, following the death of his wife Rose (nee) Cotton.

The name Frodo Baggins is an English translation of his Westron name Maura Labingi. The name Maura has the element maur- (wise, experienced), which Tolkien equivalated to the Germanic element frod- of the same meaning. Frodo's name in Sindarin was Iorhael ("old-wise").

In the German translation he is called Frodo Beutlin, in Spanish, Frodo Bolsón, in French, Frodon Sacquet, in Norwegian, Frodo Lommelun, in Danish, Frodo Sækker, in Faroese, Fróði Pjøkin in Finnish, Frodo Reppuli and in Dutch, Frodo Balings. In one of three Polish translations he is called Frodo Bagosz, but he keeps his original name in the other two.

Frodo's Struggles

Notably, Frodo Baggins never actually killed anything in the course of the Lord of the Rings. He did, however, stand up to fight against some formidable adversaries. He foolishly attempted to fight the Nazgûl at Weathertop, and he stabbed a troll in the foot in Moria to keep it from forcing open a door.

Frodo was wounded several times in the Lord of the Rings. The first came when he tried to fight the Nazgul at Weathertop and was stabbed with a Morgul blade. He was later knocked out by an orc's thrown spear in Moria, but the mithril armor Bilbo had given him saved his life. He was poisoned by Shelob in the pass of Cirith Ungol and later questioned by orcs in the tower. Finally, Gollum bit off his finger to obtain the One Ring as they struggled inside Mount Doom.